by Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

by Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - The United States is advising the Iraqi military to work closely with tribes and local leaders so as not to trigger a wider sectarian conflict as they drive militants from Ramadi and Fallujah.

"What we would like to see is them working with the local security forces," said Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff. "We're trying to coach them as best we can on these issues."

Iraq's military operations in largely Sunni Anbar province will be a test of the more restrained counterinsurgency tactics the United States attempted to impart to Iraq's military as it rebuilt the organization after the 2003 U.S.-led offensive that toppled Saddam Hussein.

U.S. influence is limited, however. The United States has some military officials in its embassy in Baghdad, but has limited exposure to Iraq's military since U.S. forces left the country in 2011.

"We still have some coordination we can do with their leaders," said Odierno, who has years of experience in the country as a top commander. Odierno made the comments after an appearance at the National Press Club.

"This is certainly not the time to put American troops on the ground," Odierno told the audience. "I think it's time for them to step up and see what they can do," he said of the Iraqis.

Al-Qaeda swept into the two cities last week in the wake of what Sunnis viewed as heavy handed moves by the central government, including the dismantling of a protest camp in Ramadi and the detention of a Sunni leader.

Al-Qaeda militants have been working to exploit tensions between Sunnis and the Shiite-dominated central government. Al-Qaeda is a mostly Sunni organization.

Al-Qaeda militants drove police out of police stations and government buildings and remain in control of parts of the cities.

The Iraqi army now faces a complex task not unlike what American troops faced often in Iraq after 2003. They have to isolate al-Qaeda militants without angering locals with a heavy-handed military operation that could trigger a civil war.

Iraqi officials say they are aware of the sensitivities of an operation in a Sunni stronghold.

In a phone call with Vice President Biden, Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he understood the "importance of working closely with Iraq's Sunni leaders and communities to isolate extremists," according to a White House statement.

The slow pace of the Iraqi operation reflects the complexity of conducting a counterinsurgency operation where al-Qaeda militants are mixed in with civilians and where the Iraqi military is viewed with distrust.

Analysts say tribes and police are doing most of the fighting and, for now at least, the Iraqi army is supporting them with artillery and aircraft.

"The predominately Shiite military is not welcome in Anbar," said Jessica Lewis, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War.

"The tribes really don't want to work with the army," Lewis said. "A few days ago they were fighting the army."

Qasim Abed, a former Anbar governor and member of the provincial council, said tribes are fighting independently of each other with little coordination.

He said some tribes are getting arms from the Iraqi government while others are not, which is heightening tribal rivalries.

Even more alarming, some minor tribes are negotiating with al-Qaeda militants as the fighting drags on in an effort to set up local peace agreements.

"They are small tribes, but in the future if the situation continues maybe other tribes will do the same," he said.